Feasibility and Acceptability of a Co-produced Intervention to Improve Physical Activity and Motor Competence Amongst Children With Intellectual Disabilities and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder: Movement Matters

Liverpool John Moores University43 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this observational study is to find out whether an intervention designed to improve physical activity levels and movement skills is practical and acceptable for children aged 7-11 years with intellectual disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder. The intervention will be designed with input from people with lived experience, including professionals working in schools, physical education, sport, health services, and charities, as well as parents and families. The study will explore whether this type of intervention can be realistically delivered in special educational needs schools as part of their usual day-to-day activities. The main question the study aims to answer is: • Is an intervention to improve physical activity and motor skills feasible and acceptable for special educational needs schools? Participating schools will implement the intervention for six weeks. Several outcomes related to feasibility and acceptability will be measured to understand how well the intervention works in a school setting.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Physical Activity Motor Skills Development

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 7 YearsMax age: 11 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Children aged 7 to 11 years * Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) statement indicating a primary diagnosis of intellectual disability and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder * Independently ambulatory (able to walk without physical assistance) to allow completion of the motor skill testing protocol Exclusion Criteria: * Children younger than 7 years or older than 11 years * No Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) statement indicating a primary diagnosis of intellectual disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder * Not independently ambulatory and therefore unable to complete the motor skill testing protocol

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

School Eligibility Rate (Screening Log Assessment)

Percentage of all SEND schools in the target area that meet predefined inclusion criteria, assessed using a school eligibility screening log.

Time frame: Baseline

Participant Recruitment Rate (Consent Form Return Log)

Percentage of eligible children who return completed parent/carer consent forms, recorded using a consent tracking log.

Time frame: Baseline

Completion Rate of Motor Competence (BOT-2), Physical Activity (Accelerometry), and Anthropometric (Stature and Body Mass) Measures

Percentage of recruited participants who complete all baseline and follow-up assessments using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2), Accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X worn on the non dominant wrist for 7-days), stature measured to the nearest 0.1cm and body mass to the nearest 0.1 kg.